|
| | | | | | | |  Monday, December 4, 2000
Getting Crazy with ... Kansas City DE Eric Hicks
By Marc Connolly
MondayNightFootball.com
Every week throughout the 2000 NFL season, ABC Sports Online senior writer Marc Connolly interviews one player from that week's upcoming Monday Night Football game on a variety of topics. In Week 5, Connolly caught up with Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks. Hicks currently leads the Chiefs in sacks with 9.0. Here's what transpired:
|  | | Eric Hicks (98) is seen here chasing Mike Anderson last week at Mile High Stadium. |
Connolly: You came in as an undrafted rookie free agent just a few years ago, and now here you are as a starting D-end quickly becoming one of the league's sackmasters. What are we missing here -- has your move up the ranks been easier than you thought?
Hicks: No, it's definitely not been easier. I took the long road coming in as a rookie free agent. I worked very hard and listened and did all the things I was asked and needed to do to get me to where I am today. It's been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life.
Connolly: Guys that come in as top draft picks get to pick out their jersey early on and the coaches already know about them. What's it like walking in those first few days as an unknown?
Hicks: Obviously, you don't get that big money, either. The coaches don't really talk to you since they have to take look at their draft picks -- the ones they spent their money on. So if you don't do anything to capture their imagination or catch their attention, you won't be around long. That's what you have got to focus on when you come in or you'll be outta there as fast as you came in.
Connolly: How do they even know who you are at that point when you're out there in pads and a helmet?
Hicks: Luckily, every rookie has tape on their helmet so you don't feel left out. A lot of people don't know your name. You have to make a name for yourself.
Connolly: So you're not in a position to make special demands to the equipment manager?
Hicks: No way. You get what they give you. You better not go into that equipment room looking for stuff, either. Not many perks when you're the low man on the totem poll. No extra t-shirts or any of that stuff. They save all that for the name-guys.
Connolly: It must have been nice coming back to camp the following year as someone challenging for a starting position.
Hicks: Yeah, the coaches treat you much different. Their attitudes are different. They joke around and ask about your families and everything. It's like you're a totally different person.
Connolly: Because you're definitely going to be around awhile ?
Hicks: Exactly. Usually coaches don't want to get too close to you when you might be out of there in a few weeks.
Connolly: You live a man-to-man battle every down against huge offensive tackles. Is there any one guy that gives you fits?
Hicks: Last year in a preseason game, I got my second start against Jacksonville and big Leon Searcy. I was watching him on tape killing people. I kept thinking, how am I gonna do against this dude. Luckily, I had some success against him. I hit (Mark) Brunell five times in that game. It was then that I really knew I could play in the league and it gave me a lot of confidence.
Connolly: Brunell is pretty elusive, too, so that's even more impressive. On those same lines, who is the most elusive QB to chase around?
Hicks: Hands down, it's Steve McNair. In the first quarter of the game against them, I had both his legs wrapped up in the end zone for a safety, and then he got out. I don't know how he did it. He even got out of the end zone. He is -- by far -- the hardest QB I've ever had to play against.
Connolly: You scored a TD last year on a 44-yard fumble recovery against Minnesota. It was on national TV in a Sunday night game, too, so your adrenaline was pumping. But tell me, how tired were you after making that run.
Hicks: Oh yeah, I was definitely out of breath. It was cold that night and I was running fast. Robert Smith was chasing me too, but I was gonna get in that end zone. I don't think I played too many series after that play. I kind of just held the ball on the sideline because I was so excited.
Connolly: When was the last time you'd had a TD?
Hicks: Maybe the 11th grade.
Connolly: Is that a D-lineman's dream, or is it the perfect sack?
Hicks: I think it's the perfect sack. My teammate Duane Clemons got a hit on McNair from his blind side when he was getting ready to throw. He turned and Duane was right in his face. He crushed his sternum, and it put Steve in the hospital for two days. The perfect sack is when the QB never sees you coming and you just lay into him. It's a good feeling.
Connolly: Is it true that you might want to be a U.S. Marshall someday?
Hicks: Yeah. I was a criminal justice major in college (Maryland) and I liked to travel. I thought it'd be cool to go all over the country and bring back prisoners. That's something I thought I'd want to do. Hopefully, now, I won't have to do that.
Connolly: So I take it you like Tommy Lee Jones.
Hicks: He looked authentic to me. I don't know about all the crazy conversations that they were having, but I'd believe him if he came after me and tried to take me back to jail.
Connolly: Were you into that sort of thing from Hollywood's version of what goes on or from practical things you'd seen or read?
Hicks: Practical experience. We studied that stuff, plus I knew I'd get to carry big guns and get to go hunt down people. I'm a very aggressive person so I think I'd be pretty good at that.
Connolly: Does that mean you were one of those kids who always played with army men?
Hicks: Every day. I had every single G.I. Joe. I would stay out until my mom almost had to beat me out until I came back into the house.
Connolly: Your D-line has been exceptional this year, but you guys keep jumping offside. What's the deal with that? Are you guys just getting more freedom to approach the line or is it mental breakdowns?
Hicks: They give us freedom to do what we want out there. We do pay the price for doing it. Sometimes we feel that we'll be more successful than by not being aggressive at the line. If we live on the edge, teams have to account for that and change their usual blocking schemes. So it helps us more than it hurts us.
Connolly: Is there some sort of Kangaroo Court within the Chiefs for that sort of thing, where you guys get penalized for making blunders?
Hicks: We have a Kangaroo Court. It's for silly things guys do on the field or for mental errors in practice. Sometimes it's a payment, sometimes it's just a tremendous amount of ridicule from all the guys.
Connolly: And who is the warden of this?
Hicks: That'd be James Hasty.
Connolly: Have you been fined?
Hicks: Nope, I've never been it even once. I try to keep a low profile around here.
Connolly: What would Hasty have done to Terrell Owens for mocking the Cowboys in their own stadium?
Hicks: He would have put the film on in the team video room and something would definitely have been done about it.
Connolly: Arrowhead is always a crazy place to play, but it's supposed to be particularly wild on Monday night. The crowd gets loud to try to drown out the QB, but does it make it tough on you guys on D?
Hicks: It's great that the crowd is cheering and it gives us an advantage, but many times we can't hear and make our calls either. It increases our mental errors, but we'd rather deal with it and have them not hear too. We switch over and make hand signals to get whatever we need to get done.
Connolly: Can you compare that sound to anything?
Hicks: No. It's just crazy. I've been to so many stadiums through the years, but I've never heard anything as loud. Our fans cheer as one fan it seems, while at other places it just seems like noise. It reverberates in your eardrums. You can't hear for a while after the game, but it's awesome.
Connolly: Arrowhead is also known for its tailgating scene. If you could take a Sunday off and go tailgate with some of your teammates, who would you bring and what would you guys eat?
Hicks: I'm a steak man, myself. My favorite meal is steak and lobster, but I don't know if you can cook lobster on the grill.
Connolly: Anything goes on the grill, Eric. You've been on the field too long.
Hicks: True. I eat steak like four or five times a week. My colon is definitely shot. I got a couple really good friends on the team, so I'd bring them. Two new guys on the team -- Lew Bush (linebacker) and Duane Clemons. I'd also bring Derrick Ransom, another defensive lineman. Chester (McGlockton) and I have really developed a good relationship since I've been here, too. We'd have some fun out there.
Connolly: Last question -- how many Elvis jokes have you heard since you came to KC?
Hicks: My God, it's nonstop. It's gotten to the point where I almost get offended when I hear one now. He's been playing so well, too. Everywhere you go, or whether you turn on the TV or the radio, you hear Elvis stuff. Even my neighbors make Elvis jokes. You laugh at some of them because they're so stupid. He's probably one of the tougher people I've ever met, because he always has to take that scorn and ridicule. He does a great job with it.
| | |
| | | | |
ESPN.com:
HELP |
ADVERTISER INFO |
CONTACT US |
TOOLS |
SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.
| |
| 
 |
